Emanuel Aiwu Explained

Emanuel Aiwu
Full Name:Emanuel Aiwu[1]
Birth Date:25 December 2000
Birth Place:Innsbruck, Austria
Height:1.85 m[2]
Position:Defender
Currentclub:Sturm Graz
Clubnumber:47
Youthyears1:2006–2013
Youthclubs1:SKN St. Pölten
Youthyears2:2013–2017
Youthclubs2:Admira Wacker
Years1:2017–2019
Clubs1:Admira Wacker II
Caps1:20
Goals1:0
Years2:2017–2021
Clubs2:Admira Wacker
Caps2:81
Goals2:5
Years3:2021–2022
Clubs3:Rapid Wien
Caps3:23
Goals3:2
Years4:2022–2024
Clubs4:Cremonese
Caps4:23
Goals4:0
Years5:2023–2024
Clubs5:Birmingham City (loan)
Caps5:24
Goals5:0
Years6:2024–
Clubs6:Sturm Graz
Caps6:0
Goals6:0
Nationalyears1:2018
Nationalteam1:Austria U18
Nationalcaps1:2
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2018
Nationalteam2:Austria U19
Nationalcaps2:6
Nationalgoals2:1
Nationalyears3:2019
Nationalteam3:Austria U20
Nationalcaps3:2
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:2019–2022
Nationalteam4:Austria U21
Nationalcaps4:13
Nationalgoals4:2
Club-Update:15:31, 2 July 2024 (UTC)

Emanuel Aiwu (born 25 December 2000) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a defender Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz. He previously played Austrian Bundesliga football for Admira Wacker (2018–2021) and Rapid Wien (2021–2022) before joining Cremonese ahead of the 2022–23 Serie A season. He spent the 2023–24 season on loan at English Championship (second-tier) club Birmingham City. He has represented Austria from under-18 to under-21 levels.

Early and personal life

Aiwu was born in Innsbruck, Austria, to a Nigerian father, Nathan Aiwu, and an Austrian mother, Heidi Semper, who began her training as a teacher of disabled people while Emanuel was still a baby. He has a younger brother, Elias.[3] The family moved to St. Pölten in 2006, where the boys began to play football.[3]

Club career

Aiwu spent seven years with his hometown club, SKN St. Pölten, before joining Admira Wacker in 2013.[4] He came through the youth system to make his senior debut while still a 16-year-old, starting and playing the whole game for Admira II in the Regional League East on 1 September 2017. He made 15 appearances for Admira II, contributed three goals from nine matches for Admira U18 as they went on to win the 2017–18 Jugendliga, found his way into the first-team squad and, towards the end of the season, started three Bundesliga matches, the first coming in a goalless draw away to Austria Wien on 5 May 2018.[5]

The following season, Aiwu was a first-team regular, and in February 2020, reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg made an offer for his services. Although the fee received would have been a club record fee, in excess of the €2.5 million paid by VfB Stuttgart for Saša Kalajdžić, Admira turned it down, believing that Aiwu on the field was of more use to the relegation-threatened club than money in the bank.[6] [7] Admira stayed up Aiwu stayed on for a further season, taking his top-flight appearance totals to 81 matches and five goals.

With the 2021 transfer deadline approaching and speculation rife as to Aiwu's future, he told his coach that he was not fit to play in that day's match against Sturm Graz. Although he insisted that he had not wanted to harm the team by playing while mentally and physically exhausted, his action was widely perceived as a strike in order to force a move, and he and his family were victims of online abuse, some of a racist nature.[8] [9] [10]

The following day, Aiwu joined another Bundesliga club, Rapid Wien, on a three-year contract. The fee was undisclosed.[11] He made his debut on 15 September, starting in the home defeat against Genk in the Europa League group stage, and rarely missed a game thereafter. The club's sporting director, Zoran Barišić, said that Aiwu had gone to another level during the season, fulfilling all the expectations they had of him, and had behaved in a professional manner throughout.[12]

On 5 August 2022, Aiwu joined Serie A club Cremonese, newly promoted to Serie A,[13] on a four-year contract for a fee reported as €3.5 million.[14] He played regularly for the first part of the season, but a mid-season change of management brought in a coach who preferred older, more experienced defenders, and although Aiwu was still a regular in the matchday squad, he rarely started.[15] Cremonese were relegated, and it appeared that Aiwu saw his future at a higher level than Serie B.[16]

Despite his adviser's mention of interest from top-five leagues, and reports of possible moves to Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas[17] and to Burnley, newly returned to the Premier League,[18] Aiwu signed for English Championship (second-tier) club Birmingham City on 31 August 2023 on loan for the season.[19] The deal included an option to purchase. After a lengthy spell as an unused member of the matchday squad, Aiwu made his Birmingham debut on 3 October as a late substitute in a 4–1 win at home to Huddersfield Town.[20]

International career

Aiwu's first international appearance for Austria came at under-18 level in 2018. Called up for two friendlies against Ukraine, he was an unused substitute for the first match and started the second, a 3–0 win on 23 March.[21] He made six appearances, scoring once, for Austria under-19s,[22] and moved into the under-20s the following year.[23] Aiwu was approached to represent Nigeria at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but declined, preferring to continue within the Austrian system.[24] [25] Aiwu made his Austria under-21 debut in October 2019 in 2021 European Championship qualifier against Turkey, went on to make thirteen appearances, including seven in 2023 European qualifying, and captained the side.[26] [27]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Admira Wacker II2017–18Austrian Regionalliga East150150
2018–19Austrian Regionalliga East5050
Total200200
Admira Wacker2017–18Austrian Bundesliga3030
2018–19Austrian Bundesliga1931010213
2019–20Austrian Bundesliga26020280
2020–21Austrian Bundesliga28110291
2021–22Austrian Bundesliga511061
Total8155010875
Rapid Wien2021–22Austrian Bundesliga232308020362
2022–23Austrian Bundesliga00102030
Total2324010020392
Cremonese2022–23Serie A23040270
2023–24Serie B000000
Total23040270
Birmingham City (loan)2023–24Championship24010250
Career total1717140110201987

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: EFL – Squad List 2022/23: Birmingham City – In Squad Players . English Football League . 2 . 7 September 2023.
  2. Web site: No. 4 Emanuel Aiwu . US Cremonese . 30 August 2023 . https://archive.today/20230830115614/https://uscremonese.it/player/emanuel-aiwu/ . 30 August 2023.
  3. News: Der Mann, den Red Bull nicht kaufen konnte . de . The man Red Bull couldn't buy . Niederösterreichische Nachrichten . St. Polten . Petra . Suchy . 16 February 2020 . 1 September 2023 . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200217151236/https://www.noen.at/gmuend/wurzeln-in-harbach-der-mann-den-red-bull-nicht-kaufen-konnte-moorbad-harbach-bezirk-gmuend-waldviertel-redaktionsfeed-emanuel-aiwu-191894148 . 17 February 2020.
  4. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu . Österreichischer Fußball-Bund . de . 1 September 2023.
  5. News: Admira verlängert mit vier Nachwuchsspielern . de . Admira extend four youth players' contracts . Sky Sport Austria . 29 March 2018 . 1 September 2023.
  6. News: Admira verzichtet auf eine Rekordablöse für Emanuel Aiwu . de . Admira turns down a record fee for Emanuel Aiwu . Alexander . Huber . Kurier . Vienna . 8 February 2020 . 1 September 2023 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200915221054/https://kurier.at/info/impressum-kurierat/711895 . 15 September 2020.
  7. Web site: Aiwu-Transfer zu Red Bull Salzburg abgelehnt: Admira verzichtete auf Millionen-Ablöse! . de . Aiwu transfer to Red Bull Salzburg rejected: Admira turn down fee in the millions! . Daniel . Ringsmuth . Ligaportal.at . 8 February 2020 . 1 September 2023.
  8. News: Emanuel Aiwu will Admira-Abgang erstreiken . de . Emanuel Aiwu wants to go on strike to leave Admira . LAOLA1.at . 29 August 2021 . 1 September 2023.
  9. News: Rapid verpflichtet Admiras streikenden Aiwu . de . Rapid sign Admira's on-strike Aiwu . Sky Sport Austria . 30 August 2021 . 1 September 2023.
  10. News: Jetzt redet Aiwu: „Ich war einfach fix und fertig“ . de . Now Aiwu speaks: "I was just shattered" . Kronen Zeitung . Vienna . 31 August 2021 . 1 September 2023.
  11. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu joins SK Rapid . SK Rapid . 30 August 2021 . 1 September 2023.
  12. Web site: Aiwu wechselt nach Italien . de . Aiwu switches to Italy . SK Rapid . 5 August 2022 . 1 September 2023 . Emanuel Aiwu hat in der letzten Saison einen weiteren Schritt nach vorne gemacht und die hohen Erwartungen, die wir in ihn gesetzt haben, absolut erfüllt. ... Ich wünsche 'Manu', der sich bei uns stets sehr professionell verhalten hat, alles Gute für seine nächste Karrierestation..
  13. Web site: Aiwu nuovo calciatore della Cremonese . it . Aiwu new Cremonese player . US Cremonese . 5 August 2022 . 5 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220808202352/https://www.uscremonese.it/aiwu-nuovo-calciatore-della-cremonese/ . 8 August 2022.
  14. Web site: Aiwu-Berater: "Nigeria hätte ihn schon jetzt eingeladen" . de . Aiwu adviser: "Nigeria had already invited him" . Lewis . Ambrose . LAOLA1.at . 19 June 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  15. Web site: Aiwu für Nigeria? "Würde lügen, wenn ich sage, dass ich mir keine Gedanken darüber mache" . de . Aiwu for Nigeria? "Be lying if I say I never think about it" . Emanuel . Aiwu . Maximilian Augustin . kicker . 27 April 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  16. Berater Brillmann über Aiwu-Zukunft: "Es gibt sowohl Interessenten aus den Top-fünf-Ligen, wie auch aus kleineren Ligen" . de . Adviser Brillmann on Aiwu's future: "There's interest from the top five leagues as well as from smaller leagues" . Marcello . Brillmann . Maximilian Augustin . kicker . 19 June 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  17. Web site: Besiktas keen to sign Aiwu as talks stall with Manchester United for 2015 Afcon . Ifeanyi . Emmanuel . All Nigeria Soccer . 14 August 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  18. News: 'There is contact': Update emerges on Burnley's interest in Austrian defender . Matt . Scrafton . Burnley Express . 20 June 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  19. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu signs for Blues on loan . Birmingham City F.C. . 31 August 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  20. News: Birmingham City 4–1 Huddersfield Town . BBC Sport . 3 October 2023 . 3 October 2023.
  21. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu U18 . Österreichischer Fußball-Bund . de . 1 September 2023. Match list includes all matches for which Aiwu was named, whether he took the field or not.
  22. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu U19 . Österreichischer Fußball-Bund . de . 1 September 2023.
  23. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu U20 . Österreichischer Fußball-Bund . de . 1 September 2023.
  24. Web site: Austria based defender Emanuel Aiwu snubs Nigeria U20, opts for Austria . OwnGoalNigeria . 14 March 2019 . 1 September 2023.
  25. Web site: Ranking: Die größten ÖFB-Talente . de . Ranking: The greatest Austrian talents . Harald . Prantl . Simon . Urhofer . LAOLA1.at . 14 August 2019 . 1 September 2023.
  26. Web site: Emanuel Aiwu U21 . Österreichischer Fußball-Bund . de . 1 September 2023.
  27. Web site: U21 siegt zum Jahresabschluss gegen Ungarn . de . U21 end the year with a win against Hungary . Österreichischer Fußball-Bund . 1 September 2023.